Getting Ready For SAT 2012

88 Pages·8.644 MB·English

2012-13
Getting Ready
for the SAT®
• Types of questions
• Test-taking approaches
• An official practice test
Find more free and
affordable practice tools
at sat.collegeboard.org.
A little practice goes a long way.
Check out the latest
Trilogy Sensation!
The Official SAT Online Course™
The Official SAT Study Guide™
(also available with DVD)
Free SAT® Practice Tools
Tons of FREE practice tests and tips, affordable tools, and really smart
strategies to help you get ready for the SAT®!
See for yourself! sat.collegeboard.org/practice
© 2012 The College Board.
12b_5528_SRPTrilogyAdUpdate_PMSCyan_PR_120410.indd 1 4/10/12 2:56 PM
Who Is This Booklet For? Colleges and scholarship programs then use the Student Search
to help them locate and recruit students with characteristics that
they find to be a good match with their programs. This is a great
If you used a paper form to register for the SAT®, you can use this
way for you to get information about colleges with which you may
book to get familiar with the SAT. Remember, if you have access
not be familiar.
to the Internet you can find everything in this booklet and more at
sat.collegeboard.org. Here are some points to keep in mind about the Student Search
Service:
Contents
■ Being part of Student Search is voluntary. While most students
participate in the Student Search Service, you may take the
The Critical Reading Section ...................................................................5
test even if you don’t take part in Student Search.
The Mathematics Section .......................................................................11
The Writing Section .................................................................................25 ■ Colleges participating in the Student Search do not receive
Official SAT Practice Test .......................................................................33 your exam scores. Colleges can ask for names of students
within certain score ranges, but your exact score is not
Student Search Service®
reported.
■ Being contacted by a college doesn’t mean you have been
The Student Search Service® helps you connect with colleges admitted. You can be considered for admission only after you
looking for prospective students. If you take the PSAT/NMSQT®, apply. The Student Search Service is simply a way for colleges
the SAT, SAT Subject Tests™ or any AP® Exam, you can be to reach prospective students like you and inform them of their
included in this free service. opportunities.
■ Student Search Service will share your contact information
Here’s how it works: During SAT or SAT Subject Test registration,
only with accredited colleges, and approved educational
indicate that you want to be a part of the Student Search. Your
or scholarship programs that are recruiting students like
name is made available for access, along with other information
you. Your name will never be sold to a private company or a
such as your address, high school grade point average, date of
commercial mailing list.
birth, grade level, high school, email address, intended college
major and extracurricular activities.
© 2012 The College Board. College Board, achieve more, Advanced Placement, Advanced Placement Program, AP, SAT, Student Search Service and the acorn logo are
registered trademarks of the College Board. My College QuickStart, SAT Subject Tests, Skills Insight, The Official SAT Study Guide, The Official SAT Question of the Day, The
Official SAT Online Course, The Official SAT Subject Tests in Mathematics Levels 1 & 2 Study Guide, The Official SAT Subject Tests in U.S. and World History Study Guide
and The Official Study Guide for all SAT Subject Tests are trademarks owned by the College Board. PSAT/NMSQT is a registered trademark of the College Board and National
Merit Scholarship Corporation. All other products and services may be trademarks of their respective owners. Visit the College Board on the Web: www.collegeboard.org.
Getting Ready for the SAT 1
pub 37366—order76593— SAT Practice Booklet • INDDcs3(Mac) • draft01 12/30/08 ljg • edits dr01 01/15/09 ljg • edits dr01 01/21/09 ljg • pub 37366—order76593— SAT Practice Booklet • INDDcs3(Mac) new template dr02
020409 ljg • new template 02/25/09 ljg • edits dr01 022609 ljg • dr02 031609 ljg • edits dr02 031909 ljg • edits dr02 032009 ljg • Dr03 4/17/09 ta • edits dr03 042109 ljg • dr04 050609 ljg • Preflight 5/21/09 jw • 37366-82425 SAT
Practice Booklet and Test 10-11 • Converted INNDcs4 MAC • Drft01 2/8/10 jdb • pdf 4/6/10 mc • Draft04 4/29/10 jw • PDF Drft05 5/14/10 jdb • Revs Drft06 5/26/10 jdb • PDF Drft06 5/26/10 jdb • preflight 052810 ljg • 37366-87226
• Drft01 1/28/11 jdb • Revs Drft01 2/16/11 jdb • PDF Drft01 2/18/11 jdb • PDF Drf02 4/11/11 jdb • pdf 4/19/11 mc • PDF Drft04 5/11/11 jdb • Preflight 5/18/11 jdb • 37366-92428 • SAT Getting Ready for the SAT 2012-13 • Drft01
2/6/12 jdb • Drft02 3/19/12 jdb • PDF Drft02 3/22/12 jdb • PDF Drft03 4/23/12 jdb • Dr04 5/10/12 jw • Dr04edits 5/14/12 jw • Dr05 5/22/12 jw • PDF Drft05 5/23/12 jdb • Preflight 5/31/12 jdb
Why Should I Take the SAT®? How Can I Get Ready for the
Test?
The SAT is an essential passport for your college admission
journey. The SAT gives colleges what they want: a showcase of ■ Take challenging classes, study hard, and read and write
your skills and potential. The College Board is here to help guide outside of the classroom.
you throughout the college-going process so that you can find the
■ Take the PSAT/NMSQT in your junior year. Once you get
right college fit and best path forward to future opportunities.
your results, sign in to My College QuickStart™ to get a
personalized planning kit to help you start getting ready for
It’s more than just a test.
the SAT.
The SAT can also help connect you to our college planning
■ Review the sample questions, test-taking approaches and
resources. Go to bigfuture.org to start your journey. Learn how
directions in this booklet.
other students like you made their college choices. Find out more
about the application process, access financial aid tools, explore ■ Take advantage of the lessons, practice questions, and practice
exams in The Official SAT Online Course™, The Official SAT
majors and more — all to help you narrow down your choices and
Study Guide™: Second Edition and our new The Official SAT
find the right college.
Study Guide™ with DVD.
It's one path to financial support and scholarships.
Use Our Online Resources
The SAT can help connect you to scholarship organizations, and
At sat.collegeboard.org/practice you’ll find a wealth of practice
many colleges use it for merit awards in addition to admission.
tools to help you put your best foot forward on test day.
It’s fair to everyone. ■ Create your own study plan and sign up for daily practice with
The SAT was first created to help level the playing field in college The Official SAT Question of the Day™.
admission. It still does so today. The SAT is the most rigorously ■ Take the official SAT practice test online so you can get it
researched and designed test in the world, which ensures that scored automatically and review the answer explanations. You
students from all backgrounds have an equal chance to succeed. can also take the practice test included in this booklet and
enter your answers online to score it.
What Does the SAT Measure?
■ With SAT Skills Insight™ you can see what you need to get to
the next level on the SAT.
The SAT measures the skills you have learned in and outside of
the classroom and how well you can apply that knowledge. It Approaches to Taking the SAT
tests how you think, solve problems and communicate. The test
is composed of three sections:
Know What to Expect
■ Critical Reading, which has sentence completion and
passage-based reading questions. Use the information in this booklet and on sat.collegeboard.org
to help you:
■ Mathematics, which is based on the math that college-bound
students typically learn during their first three years of high ■ Know what to expect on test day. Check your Admission
Ticket for when to arrive and what to bring.
school.
■ Writing, which has multiple-choice questions and a written ■ Become familiar with the test. Study the descriptions of the
SAT sections and become familiar with the question formats
essay.
before you take the SAT, so you’re not surprised or confused
You have three hours and 45 minutes of testing time, plus three
on test day. In particular, be sure to practice writing answers to
five-minute breaks, for a total of four hours to complete the
the student-produced response mathematics questions (see
entire test.
page 22).
All multiple-choice questions are scored the same way: one
point for each correct answer, and one-quarter point subtracted
for a wrong answer. No points are subtracted for answers left
blank or for incorrect student-produced response questions
(grid-ins, see page 22). The total score for each section is on a
200- to 800-point scale, with 10-point intervals.
2 Getting Ready for the SAT
Use These Test-Taking Strategies On Test Day
■ All questions count the same, so answer the easy questions Make sure that you read and understand our policies and
first. The easier questions are usually at the beginning of the requirements for taking the SAT. These are available in
section, and the harder ones are at the end. The exception is two places:
in the passage-based reading questions, which are ordered ■ Online at sat.org/test-day
according to the logic and organization of each passage.
■ In The Paper Registration Guide to the SAT and SAT Subject Tests
■ Make educated guesses. You have a better chance of choosing
You will need to bring the following to the test center:
the right answer if you can rule out one or more answer
■ Your Admission Ticket, which is required for entry to the
choices for multiple-choice questions.
test center.
■ Skip questions that you really can’t answer. No points are ■ An acceptable photo ID. Be sure to check online or in the
deducted if an answer is left blank.
registration guide about what ID you can use.
■ Limit your time on any one question. All questions are worth ■ Two No. 2 pencils and a soft eraser.
the same number of points. If you need a lot of time to answer
■ An approved calculator with fresh batteries. If possible, bring
a question, go on to the next one. Later, you may have time to
a backup calculator. For more information on calculators, see
return to the question you skipped.
pages 11–12.
■ Keep track of time. Occasionally check your progress so that
you know where you are and how much time is left.
■ Use your test booklet as scratch paper.
■ In your test booklet, mark the questions that you skipped
and to which you want to return.
■ Check your answer sheet to make sure you are placing your
answers correctly.
■ Always use a No. 2 pencil. All answer sheet circles must be
filled in darkly and completely with a No. 2 pencil. The SAT
essay must be written with a No. 2 pencil. Essays written in
pen will receive a score of zero.
Getting Ready for the SAT 3
Telemarketing and Internet Safety and Security Tips
Scams 1. Be wary of unsolicited contacts, whether via telephone or
email.
2. Remember that the College Board will never contact you to
From time to time, we receive reports of phone scams in which
ask you to send your credit card, bank account, or password
callers posing as employees of the College Board contact
information over the telephone or through email.
students and families attempting to sell test preparation
3. Never supply credit card information to someone who calls or
products, or otherwise requesting sensitive personally identifying
emails you.
information, such as credit card and social security numbers.
4. If you suspect you have received a fraudulent call or email,
These calls do not come from the College Board. This type of
contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and your local
activity, known as telemarketing fraud, is a crime. Should you
authorities and provide them with all the details.
receive an unsolicited phone call from someone claiming to work
for the College Board, including where your Caller ID indicates 5. Keep in mind that if an offer appears too good to be true, it
that the telephone number originates from a College Board probably is.
location, do not provide the caller with any personal information. 6. To make a complaint, and to obtain more information about
(Some of these callers engage in illegal “spoofing” to make it protecting yourself from telephone and Internet scams, visit
seem as if the call is coming from the actual company.) the FTC's Consumer Information site at www.ftc.gov/bcp/
menus/consumer/phone.shtm.
The College Board does not make unsolicited phone calls
to students or families requesting this type of information.
Representatives of the College Board only make calls to students
and their families in response to student-generated inquiries and/
or to provide students and families with information about a test
or program for which the student registered. Should you have
a question about the origin of a phone call you have received in
which the caller claims to be from the College Board, contact
Customer Service.
About the College Board
The College Board is a mission-driven not-for-profit organization that connects students to college success and opportunity. Founded
in 1900, the College Board was created to expand access to higher education. Today, the membership association is made up of over
6,000 of the world’s leading educational institutions and is dedicated to promoting excellence and equity in education. Each year, the
College Board helps more than seven million students prepare for a successful transition to college through programs and services in
college readiness and college success — including the SAT® and the Advanced Placement Program®. The organization also serves the
education community through research and advocacy on behalf of students, educators and schools.
For further information, visit www.collegeboard.org.
4 Getting Ready for the SAT
The Critical Reading Section
Directions
Each sentence below has one or two blanks, each blank
The critical reading section gives you a chance to show how
indicating that something has been omitted. Beneath the
well you understand what you read. This section has two types
sentence are five words or sets of words labeled A through E.
of questions:
Choose the word or set of words that, when inserted in the
■ Sentence completions (19 questions) sentence, best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.
■ Passage-based reading (48 questions) Example:
Note: Calculators may not be on your desk or used on the Hoping to ------- the dispute, negotiators
proposed a compromise that they felt would
critical reading section of the SAT.
be ------- to both labor and management.
Approaches to the Critical Reading Section
(A) enforce . . useful
■ Work on sentence completion questions first. They take less
(B) end . . divisive
time to answer than the passage-based reading questions.
(C) overcome . . unattractive
■ The difficulty of sentence completion questions increases as
you move through the section. (D) extend . . satisfactory
■ Passage-based reading questions do not increase in difficulty (E) resolve . . acceptable
from easy to hard. Instead, they follow the logic of the a b c d ,
passage.
■ The information you need to answer each reading question Answering Sentence Completion Questions
is always in the passage(s). Reading carefully is the key to
One way to answer a sentence completion question with two
finding the correct answer. Don’t be misled by an answer that
missing words is to focus first on just one of the two blanks. If one
looks correct but is not supported by the actual text of the
of the words in an answer choice is logically wrong, then you can
passage(s).
eliminate the entire choice from consideration.
■ Passage-based reading questions often include line numbers
to help direct you to the relevant part(s) of the passage. If ■ Look at the first blank in the above example. Would it make
sense to say that “negotiators” who have “proposed a
one word or more is quoted exactly from the passage, the
compromise” were hoping to enforce or extend the “dispute”?
line number(s) where that quotation can be found will appear
No, so neither (A) nor (D) can be the correct answer.
in the test question. You may have to look elsewhere in the
passage, however, in order to find support for the best answer ■ Now you can focus on the second blank. Would the
to the question. “negotiators” have proposed a compromise that they
believed would be divisive or unattractive to “both labor and
■ Do not jump from passage to passage. Stay with a passage
management”? No, so (B) and (C) can be eliminated, and only
until you have answered as many questions as you can before
choice (E) remains.
you proceed to the next passage.
■ In your test booklet, mark each question you skip so that you ■ Always check your answer by reading the entire sentence with
your choice filled in. Does it make sense to say, “Hoping to
can easily go back to it later if you have time.
resolve the dispute, the negotiators proposed a compromise
■ Remember that all questions are worth one point regardless of
that they felt would be acceptable to both labor and
the type or difficulty.
management”? Yes.
Sentence Completions
Correct answer: (E) / Difficulty level: Easy
Sentence completion questions measure your
■ knowledge of the m eanings of words; and Sample Questions
■ ability to understand how the different parts of a sentence fit 1. Because King Philip’s desire to make Spain the dominant
together logically. power in sixteenth-century Europe ran counter to
Queen Elizabeth’s insistence on autonomy for England,
------- was -------.
(A) reconciliation . . assured
(B) warfare . . avoidable
(C) ruination . . impossible
(D) conflict . . inevitable
(E) diplomacy . . simple
Be sure to look for key words and phrases as you read each
sentence. Words such as although, however, if, but and since are
Getting Ready for the SAT 5
important to notice because they signal how the different parts Passage-Based Reading
of a sentence are logically related to each other. Words such The passage-based reading questions on the SAT measure
as not and never are important because they indicate negation. your ability to read and think carefully about several different
In the example above, the entire sentence hinges on a few key passages ranging in length from about 100 to about 850
words: “Because something ran counter to something else, blank words. Passages are taken from a variety of fields, including
was blank.” the humanities, social studies, natural sciences and fiction or
literary nonfiction. They vary in style and can include narrative,
■ The word “because” indicates that the information in the first
argumentative and expository elements. Some selections consist
part of the sentence (the part before the comma) explains
of a pair of related passages on a shared issue or theme; in some
the reason for the situation described in the second part. The
of the questions, you are asked to compare and contrast these
first part states that what King Philip wanted (domination
passages.
for Spain) “ran counter to” what Queen Elizabeth wanted
(independence for England).
The following kinds of questions may be asked about a passage:
■ Given that there was such a fundamental disagreement
between the two monarchs, would reconciliation be assured? ■ Vocabulary in Context: These questions ask you to determine
the meanings of words from their context in the reading
Unlikely.
passage.
■ Would warfare be avoidable? Hardly; warfare might be
unavoidable. ■ Literal Comprehension: These questions assess your
understanding of significant information directly stated in the
■ Would ruination be impossible? No.
passage.
■ Would diplomacy be simple? Not necessarily.
■ Extended Reasoning: These questions measure your ability
■ Only choice (D) fits logically with the key words in the to synthesize and analyze information as well as to evaluate
sentence: Because what one person wanted ran counter to
the assumptions made and the techniques used by the author.
what another person wanted, conflict was inevitable. Most of the reading questions fall into this category. You
may be asked to identify cause and effect, make inferences,
Correct answer: (D) / Difficulty level: Medium
recognize a main idea or an author’s tone, or follow the logic
2. There is no doubt that Larry is a genuine -------: he excels at of an analogy or an argument.
telling stories that fascinate his listeners.
Answering Passage-Based Reading Questions
(A) braggart (B) dilettante (C) pilferer
Following are samples of the kinds of reading passages and
(D) prevaricator (E) raconteur
questions that may appear on your test. For each set of sample
Some sentence completion questions contain a colon. This is materials:
a signal that the words after the colon define or directly clarify
■ Read the passage carefully.
what came before. In this case, “he excels at telling stories that
fascinate his listeners” serves to define the word raconteur, ■ Decide on the best answer to each question.
choice (E). None of the other words is directly defined by this ■ Read the explanation for the correct answer.
clause. Some of the reading passages on the SAT are as short as a
paragraph or two, about 100 words in length. You will also find
■ A braggart may or may not excel at telling stories and may
one or more pairs of related short passages in each edition of the
actually annoy listeners.
test. Such material will be followed by one to five questions that
■ A dilettante is someone who dabbles at a career or hobby and measure the same kinds of reading skills that are measured by
so may not excel at anything.
the questions following longer passages.
■ A pilferer steals repeatedly, in small quantities; this has
nothing to do with storytelling.
■ A prevaricator tells lies, but not necessarily in an
accomplished or fascinating way; and the sentence refers to
stories, not lies.
You should choose the word that best fits the meaning of the
sentence as a whole, and only choice (E) does so.
Correct answer: (E) / Difficulty level: Hard
6 Getting Ready for the SAT
You may be asked to make an inference or draw a conclusion about a
Directions
statement made in the passage.
The passages below are followed by questions based on their
4. It can be inferred that Hou Xianguang’s “hands began to
content; questions following a pair of related passages may
shake” (line 9) because Hou was
also be based on the relationship between the paired passages.
Answer the questions on the basis of what is stated or implied (A) afraid that he might lose the fossil
in the passages and in any introductory material that may be
(B) worried about the implications of his finding
provided.
(C) concerned that he might not get credit for his work
(D) uncertain about the authenticity of the fossil
Sample Questions (E) excited about the magnitude of his discovery
Questions 3-4 are based on the following passage.
In the passage, Hou states that the fossil that he found “looked
like” certain other fossils that his “teachers always talked about.”
“The rock was still wet. The animal
He understands almost immediately, therefore, the significance
was glistening, like it was still swimming,”
of what he has found, and so (E) is the correct answer: Hou’s
recalls Hou Xianguang. Hou discovered the
hands were shaking because he was “excited about the
Line unusual fossil while surveying rocks as a
magnitude of his discovery.”
5 paleontology graduate student in 1984, near
the Chinese town of Chengjiang. “My teach- ■ (A) is wrong because there is no suggestion that Hou was
ers always talked about the Burgess Shale “afraid that he might lose the fossil.”
animals. It looked like one of them. My
■ (B) and (C) are wrong because the passage does not indicate
hands began to shake.”
that Hou was “worried about” his discovery or “concerned
10 Hou had indeed found a Naraoia like that he might not get credit.” The passage indicates only that
those from Canada. However, Hou’s animal
Hou recognized that he had found something valuable.
was 15 million years older than its Canadian
■ (D) is wrong because Hou’s immediate reaction is that
relatives.
he thinks he has found an important fossil. The first two
Some questions ask you to recognize the meaning of a word as it is sentences of the passage dramatize the discovery; it is Hou’s
used in the passage. excitement, not his uncertainty, that causes him to tremble.
Correct answer: (E) / Difficulty level: Easy
3. In line 4, “surveying” most nearly means
(A) calculating the value of Questions 5-8 are based on the following passages.
(B) examining comprehensively
These two passages were adapted from autobiographical works. In
(C) determining the boundaries of
the first, a playwright describes his first visit to a theater in the 1930s;
(D) polling randomly
in the second, an eighteenth-century writer describes two visits to
(E) conducting a statistical study of
theaters in London.
The word “surveying” has a number of meanings, several of
Passage 1
which are included in the choices above. In the context of this
passage, however, only (B) makes sense. A student in the field I experienced a shock when I saw a cur-
of “paleontology” is one who studies prehistoric life as recorded tain go up for the first time. My mother had
in fossil remains. One of the activities of a paleontology student taken me to see a play at the Schubert
would be to examine rocks carefully and “comprehensively” Line Theater on Lenox Avenue in Harlem in New
while looking for fossils. 5 York City. Here were living people talking to
■ (A), (C) and (E) are incorrect because someone who studies
fossils would not calculate the “value” of rocks, or determine
the “boundaries” of rocks, or conduct a “statistical study” of
rocks.
■ (D) is wrong because “polling” rocks makes no sense at all.
Correct answer: (B) / Difficulty level: Easy
Getting Ready for the SAT 7
one another inside a large ship whose deck 55 over the orchestra pit; and the pilasters*
actually heaved up and down with the swells reaching down were adorned with a glister-
of the sea. By this time I had been going to ing substance resembling sugar candy. The
the movies every Saturday afternoon orchestra lights at length rose. Once the bell
10 —Charlie Chaplin’s little comedies, adven- sounded. It was to ring out yet once again—
ture serials, Westerns. Yet once you knew 60 and, incapable of the anticipation, I reposed
how they worked, movies, unlike the stage, my shut eyes in a sort of resignation upon
left the mind’s grasp of reality intact since my mother’s lap. It rang the second time.
the happenings were not in the theater The curtain drew up—and the play was
15 where you sat. But to see the deck of the Artaxerxes! Here was the court of ancient
ship in the theater moving up and down, 65 Persia. I took no proper interest in the
and people appearing at the top of a ladder action going on, for I understood not its
or disappearing through a door—where did import. Instead, all my feeling was absorbed
they come from and where did they go? in vision. Gorgeous costumes, gardens,
20 Obviously into and out of the real world of palaces, princesses, passed before me. It was
Lenox Avenue. This was alarming. 70 all enchantment and a dream.
And so I learned that there were two After the intervention of six or seven
kinds of reality, but that the stage was far years I again entered the doors of a theater.
more real. As the play’s melodramatic story That old Artaxerxes evening had never done
25 developed, I began to feel anxious, for there ringing in my fancy. I expected the same
was a villain on board who had a bomb and 75 feelings to come again with the same occa-
intended to blow everybody up. All over the sion. But we differ from ourselves less at
stage people were looking for him but he sixty and sixteen, than the latter does from
appeared, furtive and silent, only when the six. In that interval what had I not lost! At
30 searchers were facing the other way. They six I knew nothing, understood nothing,
looked for him behind posts and boxes and 80 discriminated nothing. I felt all, loved all,
on top of beams, even after the audience wondered all. I could not tell how, but I had
had seen him jump into a barrel and pull left the temple a devotee, and was returned a
the lid over him. People were yelling, “He’s rationalist. The same things were there
35 in the barrel,” but the passengers were deaf. materially; but the emblem, the reference,
What anguish! The bomb would go off any 85 was gone. The green curtain was no longer a
minute, and I kept clawing at my mother’s veil, drawn between two worlds, the unfold-
arm, at the same time glancing at the the- ing of which was to bring back past ages, but
ater’s walls to make sure that the whole a certain quantity of green material, which
40 thing was not really real. The villain was was to separate the audience for a given time
finally caught, and we happily walked out 90 from certain of their fellows who were to
onto sunny Lenox Avenue, saved again. come forward and pretend those parts. The
lights—the orchestra lights—came up a
Passage 2
clumsy machinery. The first ring, and the
I was six years old when I saw my first second ring, was now but a trick of the
play at the Old Drury. Upon entering the 95 prompter’s bell. The actors were men and
45 theater, the first thing I beheld was the green women painted. I thought the fault was in
curtain that veiled a heaven to my imagina- them; but it was in myself, and the alteration
tion. What breathless anticipations I which those many centuries—those six
endured! I had seen something like it in an short years—had wrought in me.
edition of Shakespeare, an illustration of the
* Pilasters are ornamental columns set into walls.
50 tent scene with Diomede in Troilus and
Cressida. (A sight of that image can always
bring back in a measure the feeling of that
evening.) The balconies at that time, full of
well-dressed men and women, projected
8 Getting Ready for the SAT